Frederick w



(No Model.) Q

' P. W. COLE.

' SIGNAL 130x.-

No. 365,365. Patented June 28, 1887.

N. PETERS, Fhotoumognpher, Washingion, ol c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

FREDERICK W. COLE, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN OR TO THE GAMEWELLFIRE ALARM TELEGRAPH COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

" SIGNAL-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 365,365, dated June 28,1887.

Application filed January 22, 1887.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, FREDERICK W. COLE, of Newton, county of Middlesex,State of Massachusetts,have invented an Improvement in Signal-Boxes, ofwhich the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is aspecification, like letters on the drawings representinglike parts.

My invention, relating to signal-boxes for fire- 1 alarm-telegraphapparatus, consists, mainly,

in novel devices for effecting noninterferenee of the different boxes bypreventing an alarm from being transmitted from a second box whileanalarm is going in from some other-box.

1 The invention is embodied in a box resembling in its construction andmode of operation the box shown and-described in Letters Patent No.223,218, dated January 6, 1880, and

, that represented in Patent No. 232,343, dated September 21, 1880. Inthe former patent, when a'signal is being transmitted from any given boxthe pullsor starting levers of all other boxes are mechanically renderedinoperative by the action of an electro magnet and polarized armaturestherefor, which removes an intermediate device from between the pull orstarting lever, and the detent or looking lever .of the train of wheelwork that actuates thebreak-wheel, which intermediate device or 0 blockis necessary in order to cause the startinglever to engage and operatethe detent-lever.

This mode of operating theintermediate device or block,that governs theeflect of the startinglever or the detent-lever, requires that the 5character ofthecurrentshallbedifferent while 1 a signal is beingtransmitted from what it is when no signal is being transmitted.

In Patent No. 232,343 the pull is controlled by a neutral electro-magnetand armature,

0 which latter, when the circuit is broken while the box-door is open,falls out of the field of the said magnet and blocks the pull or detentlever of the train of wheel-work by mechanical devices differingconsiderably from those 5 previously mentioned.

The present invention 1s embodied 1n a signal-box in which the action ofthe pull or starting lever on the detent or locking lever of the trainof wheel-work is controlled by an intermediate device or block similarto that re- Serial No. 225,053. (No model.)

ferred to in Patent No. 223,218, but in which the movement of the saidintermediate device is controlled by a neutral electromagnet, thearmature of which is not, however, retracted out ofthe field of themagnet; and the inven- 5 tion consists, mainly, in the combination ofthese devices-namely, the pull, the detent lever, the intermediatedevice and its controlling electro-magnet and armature, with a lockingdevice for said armature controlled by the door of the box in suchmannerthat if the circuit is broken when or immediately after the door of thebox is opened, as will take place if a signal is being transmitted fromsome other box, the said locking device will retain the 55 armature ofthe magnet in its retracted position, and will thus prevent it frommoving the intermediate device, into-the position to make the pulloperative, which pull cannot be operated until the box isclosed andagain 0 opened after the previous signal has been wholly completed.

The invention also consists in other details of construction,hereinafter pointed out, and. also in the combination, with thelocking'de- 7 vice before mentioned, ofa shuntcircuit closer for thecontrolling-magnet operated either by the said locking device itself orby the move ment of the boxdoor in such manner as to break the saidshunt and energize the magnet, provided the circuit is closed before thesaid locking device can act to retain the armature in its retractedposition.

Figure l is afront elevation of a signal-box, embodying this invention,with the parts in theposition assumed if the box is opened when a signalis being transmitted from any other box on the same circuit; Fig. 2, aside elevation of the devices that control the starting of thebox-motor, on a larger scale than in Fig. l, and in the position assumedwhen the boxdoor is closed; and Fig. 3, a plan view of the devices shownin Fig. 2.

The mechanism of the signal-box comprises a train of wheel-work, a,actuated by a main spring, a, and adapted to rotate the breakwheel I),which, in co-operation with a pair of springs, c, alternately opens andcloses the cir cuit 2 3 4 when the train or motor is in operation, whichparts may all be of any suitable I00 construction, beingshown assubstantiallylike that represented in Patent No. 223,218, beforereferred to, the said train being controlled by a detent or lockinglever, d, which engages by a notch with a pin, (2', on one of the wheelsof the train, which wheel is permitted to make one complete rotation ifthe said lever is once raised. The said detent is operated by a pull orstarting device, 0, which, as best shown in Fig. 3, cannot engagedirectly with the said detent d, but which may engage an intermediatepiece, shown as a sliding flange or collar,

f, which may itself be moved into position to engage the starting-leverwhen the said collar is raised by the pull 6, or may be moved fromposition to engage thestarting-lever e, as shown in Figs. 1. and 3, inwhich case the said pull may be operated without producing any effect onthe detent or looking lever d. This operation of the intermediate pieceor sliding collar,f, issubstantially the same as in Patent No. 223,218,before referred to, and, as in the said patent, the said collarf islongitudinally movable on a rod or stem, f, connected with the armatureg of an electro-magnet, h,- but the armature g is unlike that used inthe Patent No. 223,218, inasmuch as itis not polarized, but is operatedby the attraction of the magnet and the opposing action of a retraetorby the closing and breaking of the circuit, and not by reversal inpolarity of the current, as in the former patent. It results, from thisdifference in construction, that unless in some way prevented, thearmature g and connected 'collarf would be vibrated back and forth ateach opening and closing of the circuit while an alarm was beingtransmitted from the same or any other box on the circuit-an effectwhich does not take place when the polarized armature is used.

In order to prevent the armature g from being moved by the attraction ofthe magnet h,

in case the box is opened for the purpose of' sending an alarm whileanother alarm is be ing transmitted from some other box on the samecircuit, the said armature and collarare, in accordance with the presentinvention, pro vided with a locking dcvice,shown as a pivoted arm, 7;,(best shown in Fig. 3,)which co-operates with a finger or projection mfrom the armature g in such manner that when the said locking device Itis moved to the dotted-line position, Fig. 3, it holds the armature inits retracted position. The locking device 7; is normally held in itsfull-line position, Fig. 3,

. by a slide-rod, a, engaged and pressed inward by a projection, a, onthe door of the box, (see Fig. 1,) and is acted upon by a spring, a,tending to move the slide-rod outward, so as to permit the locking-arm kto be moved by a lighter spring, a", from the full to the dotted lineposition, Fig. 3, the said arm 7.: having a forked portion, 7;, thatembraces a part of the rod n of reduced diameter and-is held against theshoulder formed by the part of larger diameter by the spring a,interposed between the said fork is and the guide-piece or support a forthe rod a. If the circuit is closed when the box-door is open, themagnet It will be energized and the armature attracted, keeping thecollar f in the position to engage the detent d and operate the samewhen the pull 0 is moved by the operator; and, with the armature in thisposition, the projection at will be in the path of the locking-arnrla,which, when the slide-rod n is permitted to move outward by the actionof the spring it upon the opening of the box-door, will be held by thelighter spring a bearing against the side of the projection m, and willconsequently produce no effect on the armature, which will retain thecollar fin position to operate the detent. If, on the other hand, asignal were being transmitted from some other box on the line, thecircuit would either be broken at the moment that the box-door wasopened, or immediately after, (as the periods of closure in transmittinga signal are of very short duration,) and the moment that the armaturewas retracted upon such breaking of the circuit the locking device Itwould be thrown by the spring a into the dotted-line position, Fig. 3,thus holding the armature away from the poles of the magnet and thecollar f in such position that the detent cannot be operated. Thislocking device k thus prevents the possibility of a person starting thebox during one of the momentary closures of the circuit that occurduring the transmission of a signal, and it isnot until the box-door hasbeen closed, so as to disengage the locking device 7; from the finger m,

and the circuit closed long enough to permit the opening of the box andoperation of the starting-lever by the operator, that the box underconsideration can be set in operation conditions which cannot existuntil the previous signal has been completed.

It will be understood that the mechanism described, with the exceptionof the end of the pull 0, is behind a glass or other plate, 0, (see Fig.2,) having an opening sutiicient for the projection a to pass through,but too small to enable a person to tamper with the sliderod or andlocking device It, actuated thereby.

It is preferable, though not necessary, to combine with the devices thusfar described a circuit-closer,p, (see Fig. 3,) forming part of abranch, 5 6, of low resistance around the magnet it, whichcircuit-closer is operated.

either by the slide-rod n or by some projection on the door of the boxother than the one a in such manner that the said circuit-closer will beopened before the locking device It reaches the projection m, so that ifthe circuit is at that time closed the magnet will be energized and thecollar f moved into position to operate the detent before it can beengaged by the locking device k, and retained in the position to renderthe said collar f inoperative.

It is obvious that the details of mechanical construction may be widelyvaried without departing from the invention, the main fea ture of whichconsists in the combination, with an electro-magnet and its armature, ofa device operated by the latter to render the pull or starting device ofthe box operative vice inoperative after it has once been brought tosuch position by the change inthe circuit produced by the transmissionof another sig nal over the same circuit, and retain itso until the saidprevious signal is completed. The end of the locking device 70 is shownas inclined or cam-shaped, and it may act by its pressure against thefinger m to retract the armature of the magnet, if it is demagnetizedwhen the said locki ng device is bearing against the said finger.

It is preferable, though not absolutely essential, to provide amechanical device for restoring the armature when the box-door isclosed, which will cooperate with the shunting device 1) for the magnet,so as to mechanically keep the armature up to the poles of the magnetwhen the latter is demagnetized by being shunted, and the shunting andrestoring devices are so arranged that theshunt is broken before therestoring device permits the armatnr'e to move any considerable distancefrom the magnet. is shown in this instance as consisting of a fin ger orprojection, 1*, connected with the rod n,

that operates the locking device, and is itself operated by thebox-door, said finger being inclined or canrshaped and engaging thesliding collarf, and thus acting on the armature to move it up to thepoles of the magnet as the box-door is closed.

It is obvious that theherein-described locking device is equallyapplicable to the arma-' ture of the magnet that controlsthe operationof the box by shunting the break-wheel instead of rendering thepullmechanicallyinoperative,

such a box being shown, for instance, in Letters Patent No. 165,118,dated July 27, 1875, and the effect of such locking device will besubstantially the same as in the present application-namely, to preventthe armature from moving forward at each closure of the circuit duringthe transmission of the signal if the box-dooris openand thus removingthe possibility of breaking in on a signal by operating the pull ofanother box during one of the momentary closures'of said signal.

I claim- 1. In a signal-box, the combination of the pull or startingdevice and detent or locking device of the break-wheel motor, and anintermediate device controlling the engagement of said starting andlocking devices, with an The armature-restoring device electro-magnetand its armature controlling said. intermediate device, and a lockingdevice for said armature, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. The combination of an electro magnet and its armature, that controlsby its position the operation of the signal-box,with the looking devicefor said armature, and an actuating device engaged and operated by thedoor of the box, whereby said locking device is removed fromco-operation with the armature when the box-door is closed and permittedto co-operate therewith when the box-door is opened, substantially asdescribed.

3. The combination of an electro magnet and its armature for controllingthe operation of the signal-box, and a locking device for said armatureoperated by the door of the box,wit h a shunt or circuit of lowresistance around said magnet, and a circuit-breaker therein operated bythe door ofthe box which co-operates with the said circuit-breaker andlocking device, as described, whereby the circuitbreaker is openedbefore the locking device comes into co-operation with the armature inthe opening of the box-door, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

4. The combination of the starting device 5. The combination of anelectro-magnetand its armature, that controls by its position theoperation of the s'ignal-box,with a locking device for the saidarmature, and a restoring device for said armature, both operated by thedoor of the box, substantially as described.

6. The combination of an eleetro-magnet and its armature, that controlsby its position the operation of the signal-box, with a locking devicefor said armature, a restoring device for said armature, and a shunt orcircuit of low resistance around the said magnet, and a circuit-breakertherein, and a movable door for the box that operates the saidcircuitbreaker and armature locking and restoring devices, substantiallyas described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

, FREDERICK W. COLE.

WVitness'es:

J 0s. 1?. LIVERMORE, J AS. J. MALoNEY.

IIO

